You should read the book itself, it's not long, but the premise of the book is basically that most wealthy people got wealthy the same way:
1. Making a through, detailed plan on how they will get rich.
2. Doggedly and relentlessly following that plan with incredible perseverance and not giving up.
It's simple. but if you think about it, it could change your life.
Personally, I don't feel bad for these people at all. It's not the economy, it's mindset. Some people have an entrepreneur mentality, and some people have a victim mentality.
If I sat around all day drinking beer and buying lottery tickets, I would probably be in the same place he is. Instead, I'm going to spend the next 12 hours setting up advertising campaigns with the expectation that 90% of them will fail. I will continue working until I hit that 10% that will succeed, which enables me to live comfortably and earn more than I could at a day job running my own business.
My point is that the bad economy often makes an all to convenient scapegoat for some people. Living paycheck to paycheck is not a good financial strategy regardless of economy.
Just want to make a point on your last paragraph. I agree but at the same time I don't see any reason why we need to demonize the people who don't know what to do. Whether what they are doing is right or wrong, we're better off not placing blame on them either.
Just my opinion but I think your statement is pretty immature. It seems rather that for some reason you want to put them down and I don't believe its because you think it will help them.
Let them be responsible for themselves. It doesn't help you to criticize others.
If they were responsible for themselves, they would be working or starving right now. However, they are on unemployment. As a taxpayer, I'm partly subsidizing their donut and lotto habits. That gives me ample reason to criticize their behavior: if someone is spending your money, you're perfectly entitled to at least complain about how they spend it.
Please expand on this if you want to be view as anything but a troll. Making inflammatory comments like this is not a way t convince people that your way of thinking is right. On the contrary, it's much more likely to close people's minds to anything you have to say.
As a counter-point, think about what the 'conservative' members of Congress would say if the public were to demand that they take a reduction in pay and benefits (members of Congress have the best health/retirement benefits of anyone in this country). From my point of view, they would probably play themselves up as victims of some sort of 'liberal conspiracy' rather than debating the motion on its merits.
Interestingly (and the author stresses this emphatically in the introduction), the "secret" cannot be merely doled out like dollars - a great willingness/eagerness to uncover it is required for it to be of any use. Had the passage been merely dropped in my lap without any context or deep inquiry, I doubt it would have been of any use.
Here are a few relevant passages from the introduction:
"The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than a hundred times, throughout this book. It has not been directly named, for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered and left in sight, where THOSE WHO ARE READY, and SEARCHING FOR IT, may pick it up. That is why Mr. Carnegie tossed it to me so quietly, without giving me its specific name. If you are READY to put it to use, you will recognize this secret at least once in every chapter. I wish I might feel privileged to tell you how you will know if you are ready, but that would deprive you of much of the benefit you will receive when you make the discovery in your own way."
"The secret to which I refer cannot be had without a price, although the price is far less than its value. It cannot be had at any price by those who are not intentionally searching for it. It cannot be given away, it cannot be purchased for money, for the reason that it comes in two parts. One part is already in possession of those who are ready for it."
"Somewhere, as you read, the secret to which I refer will jump from the page and stand boldly before you, IF YOU ARE READY FOR IT! When it appears, you will recognize it. Whether you receive the sign in the first or the last chapter, stop for a moment when it presents itself, and turn down a glass, for that occasion will mark the most important turning-point of your life."
This sounds terribly familiar. I had a friend who was taken in to those Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) schemes (basically pyramid schemes by another name), and had me come along with him to one of their 'meetings' to introduce their method to new people who wanted to get rich. This pretty much nails the language dead-on, and the fact that you link to 'onestopinternetbusiness.com' makes me very wary of anything you are saying.
If, however, other people can make a statement for the usefulness of the book or the author or something to backup these remarks, then maybe it is an alright source of inspiration. But otherwise, why would any sensible person read that pdf you link to? I am not attempting to put down your opinion of the book, merely I need much more proof when such language is used.
"This sounds terribly familiar. I had a friend who was taken in to those Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) schemes (basically pyramid schemes by another name), and had me come along with him to one of their 'meetings' to introduce their method to new people who wanted to get rich. This pretty much nails the language dead-on"
One major difference, Leon: the book is free and it is not selling anything other than your own success and happiness.
"and the fact that you link to 'onestopinternetbusiness.com' makes me very wary of anything you are saying."
"If, however, other people can make a statement for the usefulness of the book or the author or something to backup these remarks, then maybe it is an alright source of inspiration. But otherwise, why would any sensible person read that pdf you link to?"
A sensible person might check my other comments, profile, etc. to get a sense of who I am and what I believe in.
How do your comments, profile, etc. make the book better?
My remarks were for more discussion about the book and its contents, and how you portrayed the book poorly in your comment with respect to appearing legitimate by a) the whole 'secret' thing when you could have said 'hard work and perseverance'; and b) the source link of the book.
Using your own reputation as a proof of usefulness is not what I am here for, or many others. You must provide proof, in some form.
[edit] The commentator 'il' had exactly the reply I was looking for, with all the information that could help convince me.
The MLM scammers may have used the book for their own purposes, but that shouldn't detract from the book's value. The book was published in 1937, during the great depression, and is based on study of some of the most successful businessmen of all time like Rockefeller and Carnegie.
The bottom line of the book is that the "secret", at least as I understand it, is perseverance and hard work, which is exactly the opposite of MLM get rich quick schemes.
It's not a how to book, it's more of a motivational book.
